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Some common synonyms of revolt<\/em> are insurrection<\/em><\/a>, mutiny<\/em><\/a>, rebellion<\/em><\/a>, revolution<\/em><\/a>, and uprising<\/em><\/a>. While all these words mean \"an outbreak against authority,\" revolt<\/em> and insurrection<\/em> imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.<\/p>

\/\/ a revolt<\/em> by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders<\/p>

\/\/ an insurrection<\/em> of oppressed laborers<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When is it sensible to use 'mutiny' instead of 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The meanings of mutiny<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> largely overlap; however, mutiny<\/em> applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.<\/p>

\/\/ a mutiny<\/em> led by the ship's cook<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When could 'rebellion' be used to replace 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt<\/em>, rebellion<\/em><\/a> implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.<\/p>

\/\/ open rebellion<\/em> against the officers<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'revolution' be used instead of 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Although the words revolution<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> have much in common, revolution<\/em> applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).<\/p>

\/\/ a political revolution<\/em> that toppled the monarchy<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'uprising' be a better fit than 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The synonyms uprising<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising<\/em> implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.<\/p>

\/\/ quickly put down the uprising<\/em><\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does the noun 'revolt' differ from other similar words?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Some common synonyms of revolt<\/em> are insurrection<\/em><\/a>, mutiny<\/em><\/a>, rebellion<\/em><\/a>, revolution<\/em><\/a>, and uprising<\/em><\/a>. While all these words mean \"an outbreak against authority,\" revolt<\/em> and insurrection<\/em> imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.<\/p>

\/\/ a revolt<\/em> by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders<\/p>

\/\/ an insurrection<\/em> of oppressed laborers<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When is it sensible to use 'mutiny' instead of 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The meanings of mutiny<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> largely overlap; however, mutiny<\/em> applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.<\/p>

\/\/ a mutiny<\/em> led by the ship's cook<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When could 'rebellion' be used to replace 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt<\/em>, rebellion<\/em><\/a> implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.<\/p>

\/\/ open rebellion<\/em> against the officers<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'revolution' be used instead of 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Although the words revolution<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> have much in common, revolution<\/em> applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).<\/p>

\/\/ a political revolution<\/em> that toppled the monarchy<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might 'uprising' be a better fit than 'revolt'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The synonyms uprising<\/em><\/a> and revolt<\/em> are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising<\/em> implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.<\/p>

\/\/ quickly put down the uprising<\/em><\/p>" } } ] }

revolt 1 of 2

Definition of revoltnext
as in insurrection
open fighting against authority (as one's own government) soon the revolt had spread to every corner of the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

revolt

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun revolt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolt are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When is it sensible to use mutiny instead of revolt?

The meanings of mutiny and revolt largely overlap; however, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace revolt?

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

When can revolution be used instead of revolt?

Although the words revolution and revolt have much in common, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When might uprising be a better fit than revolt?

The synonyms uprising and revolt are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

How does the noun revolt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolt are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When is it sensible to use mutiny instead of revolt?

The meanings of mutiny and revolt largely overlap; however, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace revolt?

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

When can revolution be used instead of revolt?

Although the words revolution and revolt have much in common, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When might uprising be a better fit than revolt?

The synonyms uprising and revolt are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of revolt
Noun
This citizen revolt is understandable. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026 Roig was born into a middle-class family in Barcelona in 1946, to parents who had already staged their own revolt. Colm Tóibín, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
But many cities, some of which could have local sales tax hit more than 11%, are revolting on the plan. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026 That won't feel so good when the machines do finally revolt! Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt
Noun
  • The film presents boosting as an act of insurrection from the street up.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
  • There was also a plan to encourage an insurrection in early 2023.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • He looks staggered at first, then disgusted, and, finally, proud.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
  • These killings—and dozens of other attempts and near misses in many countries—have disgusted decent people and embarrassed even many who hold otherwise anti-Jewish views.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
  • The release from the Independent Medical Alliance praised Cole for rebelling against mainstream medical guidance.
    Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Müntzer’s teachings helped provoke the widespread uprising of the German peasants in 1525, and have served as a kind of progenitor inspiration for later communist thinkers, from Friedrich Engels to Ernst Bloch.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Herzen’s arrest was part of a sweeping crackdown on intellectual circles following the Decembrist uprising, as the tsarist regime sought to quell dissent.
    Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Cilantro, a polarizing herb that’s either adored in Mexican, Southeast Asian, and Indian cuisines, or repulsed by those who detect a nauseating soapy taste.
    Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Nick is hired by a mafia don to confirm and then steal a priceless manuscript said to be Dante’s original Divine Comedy in his own hand, dragging Nick into an underworld he’s both repulsed by and complicit in.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The ur-mutiny, encompassing some of these, provoking and provoked by others, is MAGA.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
  • That mobility occasionally allowed for communication and coordination during mutinies.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Gardners were on a family vacation when Miller Gardner died and Brett Gardner and others were sickened.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • In February, the agency said 27 people were sickened in an outbreak of an unknown gastrointestinal illness on board a luxury cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas, which was sailing from Miami to Honolulu.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Resistance, rebellion and retribution all come out to play in one of Disney+’s most consistent series that’s unafraid to put its larger-than-life characters into the maw of Venus fly trap-like set of moral and ethical issues.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • In the era of AI, the notion of learning something for yourself is a quiet, internal act of rebellion against a world that seems to be flowing in the wrong direction.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

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